The Bunny Parka
by Heartless Shinra Alchemist
Summary: The secret story behind the 'Shut up and walk, dear' comment. Non-yaoi. Sorry, girls. The World Ends With You/ It's A Wonderful World.


"You _have_ to be joking me…" Neku looked up at Joshua, horrified. Surely when Mr. Hanekoma had said: 'Trust your partner', he didn't mean _this_! Joshua smiled smugly, indicating the shop's door with a polite hand.

"After you, Neku," he said smoothly. Neku gulped. Yes, he'd seen the store before, but he'd just waited outside while Shiki went and bought what she needed. In life, he would never had ever thought of going _near_ this store, let alone, go in! And now this smug little…kid…wanted him to buy stuff from there?

"No," he said, turning to leave. One of Joshua's ash-colored eyebrows raised.

"No? But Neku, you were the one who told me that we should follow the trends!" Neku stopped, his eyes sliding over to the small group of people nearby. They wore all black and red, one of them even wearing a cape. Neku shuddered.

"Well, I'm retracting what I said in this case. Let's _go_…" he reached back for Joshua, to pull him away from the offending store, but instead, Joshua grabbed _him_. Neku found himself being half-dragged towards the shady store.

"Okay, Neku. But I, for one, would like to see what they have here. It might help us!" He gently pushed the door open, letting a strange, musky smell and the sound of smooth piano music drift into the air. With a shove, Neku entered the store, the door shutting behind him like the bars of a prison cell. He was scared to open his eyes.

_Okay, Neku…You can't run for it now. Face it like a man, at least. This place can't be _that_ bad!_

Sighing, Neku turned to take in the store. The entire place was black, with a few splotches of purple and red here and there. Joshua was speaking quietly to a brunette sipping tea and wearing the most bizarre little top hat and a frilly, ribbony black gown.

He closed his eyes.

"Hey, Neku! I think you'll look good in this," Joshua's voice called from somewhere towards Neku's left. He took a few steps in that direction and stopped.

"What is it?" he asked warily. Joshua raised it for Neku to see. It was a high-collared cape lined in red velvet. Neku frowned. "No." Joshua scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Come _on_, Neku! Princess K said that capes are very in now," he half-pleaded. Neku wrinkled his nose.

"Who's Princess K?" he asked contemptuously. A voice sounded behind him

"_I_ am Princess K," the girl in the ridiculous hat said, her face tinged with a look of what must have been disgust. "And who are you?"

Neku gulped. This girl barely came up to his chin. Who knew short people could be so scary? "Uhm… Ne-n-neku Sa-sakuraba, Miss K," he replied nervously. His use of title must have pleased her, because she softened a bit, a small smile coming to her face.

"Well, Mr. Sakuraba, I personally think that that cape would look wonderful, but if that is too daring for you, perhaps you'd like these arm warmers?" She held a pair of blood red glove-things in her hand. Neku wanted to run away screaming. But he was too scared.

"Uh…y-yes, ma'am…" he mumbled, taking them from her tiny hands. She nodded, looking much like a mother hen as she turned to Joshua. "Now, for you…"

- - -

"C'mon, Joshua, we need to see you in it!" Neku cried, enjoying himself very much. There was a groan from the dressing room. Joshua bumped his way to the door, frowning at Neku over the top. Neku smiled. "You have to put the hood on, too!" Joshua grunted as he obliged Neku, stepping out of the small room with considerably less swagger than before.

"Oh, I knew you could work the cross-dresser look quite well!" Princess K cried, clapping her appreciation as Joshua's face grew red. Neku smiled.

"And the bunny parka was a nice touch. I commend your fashion sense, Miss K," Neku added, sipping at a small china cup filled with Earl Grey tea. Joshua frowned, looking towards Princess K.

"I agree, but I don't think that this is quite in our budget. Neku?" he looked pathetic.

Neku contemplated his options, the said:

"I do believe that we could squeeze it in, Joshua, since you look _so _good in it. Miss K, could you please ring us up?"

- - -

_Meanwhile, in a parallel world…_

"-I never knew that they went along that well!" Shiki cried, her face a mixture of happiness, excitement, embarrassment, and shame. Neku scowled towards Joshua.

"Now look what you've done," he growled. Joshua smiled, all-to-innocent. Images of a scenario that never happened but still was flooded his mind. He thought of the bunny parka.

"Shut up and walk, dear."


End file.
